If You Ever Want to Admire the View
by seaweedbrainsss
Summary: In which Annabeth has been blessed with her bedroom window having a perfect view of a really hot guy's bedroom she may or may not be attracted to. One shot.


Sorry **for any grammar/spelling mistakes I didn't really edit this very well. Pls review I'd love to know what you think, good or bad.**

 **Disclaimer : All rights got to Uncle Rick**

There is absolutely no way Annabeth Chase is attracted to the man in the window.

Just like there is no way that she sets her alarm for 5:45am (even though she doesn't need to get up until 7) to see the man in the window, sleepy and delirious and _ahem_...shirtless as he stumbles around in his bedroom.

Just like the fact that she never ever checks out the muscled back the gods had blessed this man with as he puts on his button up in a completely non attractive way.

Just like there is _absolutely, positively, no way_ that she leaves her apartment building every morning at a too early hour that probably belongs toHades himself at the exact same time he did so she could not so subtly follow him to his plethora of coffee shops he liked to choose from on a daily basis. I mean, that was uncalled for. Why couldn't the man stick to one place so she didn't have to follow him around like a stalker every day?

This was all hypothetical, of course.

But at the low probability that this _was_ Annabeth's morning routine from Monday to Friday, was it really that pathetic?

 _Yes_ , Thalia's voice seemed to scream in her head.

Annabeth didn't really know much about the guy in the window. Just that he lived in the building next to hers, and had an odd fascination with the color blue. Everything in his room, the walls, the bed, the dresser, the curtains that were always open so she could see in, were all various shades of blue. When he ordered coffee everyday, he asked the barista to slip in some blue food coloring.

Apparently he was enough of a regular at all the different shops in Manhattan that no one gave his request a second glance anymore.

She was currently sitting on her bed, pretending to write a college essay on the three Ancient Greek styles of columns for her architecture course when in reality she was checking out the guy who happened to be taking a nap right now.

Annabeth got up to get a glass of water from her kitchen. When she came back, the man was still lying on his bed, eyes closed. The only difference was a piece of paper with large black letters on it had been haphazardly taped to the window.

 **'Take a picture, it'll last longer'**

Annabeth wanted to curl into a ball and die.

Instead, she decided to answer back. Because why the hell not?

 **'you had to be looking at me to know I was looking at you'**

It took her longer than she would like to admit to come up with that, and it was still something her twelve year old self would say.

 **'so you admit you were staring?'**

He didn't even tape it to the wall, just held it up and flashed her a teeth dazzling smile.

 **'no, I looked over like once'**

The man in the window shook his head before scribbling a reply.

' **you make me want to invest in some blinds'**

Annabeth wasn't sure whether they were flirting or he was telling her to back the hell off.

 **'you already have curtains'**

He left the room without answering, and she was honestly mad at herself for feeling disappointed. This was their first interaction ever, and it was actual pretty close to something she would see in a Taylor Swift music video.

If it hadn't been obvious enough, Annabeth had been single for _way_ too long.

...

She woke up the next morning and immediately turned over in bed to look out her window. She was expecting a hot guy to be rubbing his eyes and yawning adorably. Instead, his entire window was covered in a large, thick whiteboard.

 **'I literally spent $21.99 on this whiteboard so you better appreciate it. And the curtains are for decorative purposes only. I can't afford blinds so this will have to do for now'**

And that was that. Window guy obviously didn't want to talk to her and didn't want to be stared at, which was understandable.

Annabeth didn't bother answering until that evening when new writing appeared on the whiteboard.

 **'I'm gunna ignore the fact that you are seemingly ignoring me and just tell you to open your door'**

She wondered briefly if this guy was a murderer or something and went over to her front door. In the entryway, there was a giant whiteboard identical to the one he had. There was already writing on it: **'please tell me this is the right room, it's harder than you think to figure it out I've already screwed up twice'.** And next to the board was a pack of Expo markers and an eraser.

It was an oddly sweet gesture for someone who probably thought she was an insane stalker of his.

And she honestly might be.

She erased his writing and replaced it, taking her time to show off her neatest handwriting for gods know why.

 **'definitely slightly concerned as to how you found my apartment, putting 911 on speed dial just in case'**

His reply came sometime while she was downstairs watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

 **'nah, you don't need to do that, here's a different number instead: 212-673-8924;)'**

 **'smooth'** she wrote back, and this time saw him reach for the board and sit on his bed as he scribbled on it. She watched him the entire time, something she was becoming quite good at.

 **'I know'**

 **'and arrogant'** she said quickly.

 **'always'**

Annabeth didn't know how to reply to that, so she didn't.

...

Over the course of a few weeks, Annabeth and window guy, who she somehow still didn't know his real name, had texted and written each other via whiteboard every day.

They had yet to meet up, Annabeth having stopped following him to his coffee shops every day since that first time they talked. It was almost as if not talking verbally was part of this weird, flirtatious game that had started.

Another part of their odd relationship was that they would drop off random stuff on each other's doorsteps (finding his apartment number was definitely harder than she would like to admit).

Last week Annabeth had gotten him some Windex, writing on her whiteboard: **'your window is so dirty I can barely read your writing anymore'**

She actually had no idea what was happening with them. Sometimes, it seemed like they were flirting, and other times it seemed really obvious that he wasn't interested. He could have a girlfriend for all she knew.

Annabeth realized this could go one of three ways:

Option number one being they (more like just him but that's irrelevant) grow tired of the same old banter and their pretty much non existent relationship turned into a completely non existent relationship.

Option number two was that one day they meet in person, with no windows and a five foot gap between buildings in their way, and nothing really happens from there.

Option number three (Annabeth's personal favorite) was that they meet each other like in the last scenario, but this time hit it off and become best friends or go on a date or something. She was hoping for the date one over the friend one, but she'd take what she could get.

When she said as much to Thalia, her friend had told her she was being too desperate. But it's not like window guy knew what she was thinking. She was playing it cool.

"The fact that you have to reassure yourself you're playing it cool means you most certainly are not playing it cool."

She smacked Thalia upside the head.

...

"Annabeth if you don't come over _right now_ I will literally kill you." Piper murmured aggressively through the phone.

"No you won't."

"Yes I will."

"No you won't."

"No I won't."

Annabeth smiled in victory.

Piper was currently yelling at her because she was supposed to be at her house almost thirty minutes ago to set up for their friend (and Piper's boyfriend) Jason's surprise birthday party.

She had gotten a little preoccupied when a large spider had crawled up onto her window ledge, which she hated with a burning passion. They were to hairy and creepy and had far too many legs. Annabeth had gotten the guy in the window to throw paper airplanes at it until it fell down, and he had really terrible aim so it had taken a while.

"Just calm down, I'm almost there I swear-" she hadn't even left her apartment yet "-see you soon."

"Okay, but hurry."

She grabbed her shoes from inside her closet and quickly put them on before rushing out the door, down the elevator, through the lobby, and onto the busy streets of Manhattan.

If hailing a cab was going to take five minutes alone, who knew how long it would take to get to Piper's.

...

She wasn't even through the door yet when Piper began venting to her about the difference between being fashionably late and rudely late.

"Just shut up and put her to work!" Thalia yelled from somewhere in the kitchen.

"That's the thing," Piper pointedly glared at Annabeth, "most of the work is already _done_."

She decided to take the mature route and stick out her tongue before looking around the apartment. Piper was right, the place was almost finished. All the balloons and streamers had been hung up, a taco bar was laid out next to the couch, and in big, bright yellow letters above the fireplace a banner said 'happy birthday Jason!'

"It looks really great."

"Ya no thanks to you."

"Harboring grudges isn't good for the soul, Piper."

"Ya well neither is flaking on people." She retorted and pretended to be mad, but Annabeth knew she was just kidding.

Probably.

Just then, the doorbell rang, Annabeth went to the door and opened it to see Frank, Hazel, and Leo.

"Hey guys! Did you three...ride together?"

"Yup," Leo chirped as he walked inside, seemingly very happy with his carpool arrangements.

Frank, on the other hand, did not seem to feel that same way. Hazel and him exchanged a look before stepping inside too.

Soon enough, everyone was there, and Piper texted Jason's friend Percy who was keeping him occupied.

"He'll be here in ten minutes!" She announced before walking up to Annabeth and Thalia who were, like usual, discussing the hot window guy.

"Listen, I'm not trying to let you down or anything, but I'm sure that guy just wants to get in you pants."

"You don't even _know_ him!"

"Neither do you!"

"Are we talking about hot window guy?" Piper asked as she plucked a grape from off Thalia's plate.

"He's definitely not hot."

"Thalia, you've never seen him before."

"So what? I've made up an imaginary window guy in my head and he is really ugly."

"He sounds hot to me." Piper piped up.

" _Thank you_ , Piper." And at that, Annabeth walked away to go get a drink.

...

Jason had arrived fifteen minutes ago.

Unfortunately, the surprise didn't work that well because Piper forgot to check her phone and no one was hiding. Annabeth was also pretty sure Jason's friend Percy had accidentally told him, because Jason's surprise face wasn't very convincing.

Oh.

And on that Percy note.

He was hot window guy.

Annabeth was currently hiding in the kitchen, praying no one walked in. The thought of actually meeting window guy/Percy was unnerving.

Busying herself with something to do, she began to clean Pipers kitchen. It needed it, and cleaning helped her settle down when she was stressed out.

"Hey do you know where the napkins... _oh_."

Annabeth turned around to see (because the gods couldn't be kind to her) Percy the _freaking_ window guy standing in the kitchen doorway, looking shocked and confused.

She realized this was the first time she had ever heard his voice. It was deep and smooth and made him even more attractive than he already was. And he was currently looking at her as if he had seen a ghost.

"Napkins?" Annabeth pretended her hands weren't shaking while she walked over to a stack of them and held them out to him. Their fingers brushed as he took it.

"You're window girl." He stated simply.

"And you're window guy."

Percy shrugged, "ya, my real name is Percy. Percy Jackson." He was oddly flustered.

"Annabeth Chase."

Going for a hug seemed way too personal, but a handshake was too formal. They had been talking constantly for almost a month for gods sakes.

"Annabeth. You're Piper's,best friend, right? Jason talks about you sometimes."

She nodded, "and you're Jason's best friend, Piper talks about you _all_ the time. I honestly think she might like you more than me."

"I'm a pretty likable person, what can I say."

"And still arrogant as ever, I see."

He laughed, "well this arrogant person recently saved you from a spider so I wouldn't say anything you'd regret."

She nodded her head. "Oh ya? Then tell me what you were doing killing spiders for me when Piper said you were Jason's distraction."

"I _was_ Jason's distraction."

She waited.

"I just cut his tires up so he would have to get his car fixed and all that."

Now she was the one laughing. "You didn't."

Percy put his hands up in defeat, "hey it was either spend an afternoon with Jason or spend an afternoon with you, I think I chose wisely."

 _This is the part where you flirt back, Annabeth._ Unfortunately she wasn't very good at that part.

"Tell me you at least payed for his new tire?"

The look on his face was enough for Annabeth to infer that no, he did not pay for the new tire.

"In my defense, I'm a junior in college drowning in debt and paying too much rent for what my apartment is worth. I don't just have $250 laying around."

"Maybe this will be good for Jason, make him realize he needs to get on board with the rest of New York and use a cab."

He flinched. "Oof, Annabeth, that's a deal breaker. I'm a subway guy all the way."

Annabeth visibly cringed. "How in humane, I don't think I can associate with people who use the subway."

"It's way more economical."

"I have a well paying job."

Percy looked her over, "If I had known that the girl I've been flirting with for the last month was such a snobby rich person I don't think I would have even bothered."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now that's just not fair."

"Maybe," he stepped a little closer, and Annabeth realized that from this close his eyes weren't blue, but a beautiful sea green. "Let me make it up to you."

"How so?"

He smirked, but underneath his confidence she could tell he was a little nervous. It was cute.

"Dinner, tomorrow night, I'll pick you up."

Well she hadn't been expecting that. Annabeth smiled more than what was probably appropriate, but she didn't really care.

"Alright."

"I'll pay and everything, even though you're the privileged one."

"Now I'm _really_ impressed." She said, sitting on one of the bar stools next to the island counter. He took the one next to hers.

"You should be, this is going to be the best date you've ever been on."

"Really?"

"Really." Percy confirmed.

...

He was right.


End file.
